Moved shotgun to bedroom

[gitarmac]

I usually just keep one of my handguns by the bedside but I was sorting some ammo, I have quite a bit of loose buckshot and other shotgun shells and decided my long guns locked in the safe at the other end of the house was too far away.

I choose the Mossberg 500 with the 18.5 in slugster barrel. I put some slugs in the sidesaddle and felt warm and fuzzy.

Then I started thinking about overpenatration so I got some Winchester segmented slugs, and a couple other brands.

Then I realized that although I have flashlights and headlamps by the bed I really needed a light on the weapon so now I have that.

I chose my Mossberg because my other shotgun is a semi brownchester (the Winchester super-X that can use browning parts) because it's reliable, easier to maneuver in closed spaces, and super easy to reload on the fly.

Almost too easy. I've had this gun since '88. It came with the two barrels. I'm a female with T-Rex arms so I had the stock cut to fit and a nice recoil pad. If you do the math you will conclude I'm older now. Old retired with arthritis. Especially in my neck and hands.

Not to worry, one of my ammo selections is low recoil federal 00buck. Also, if it comes to the point I have to actually use it I will have good reason and discomfort won't be an issue, it never is when I'm hunting anyway.

So this is an older gun that has always been reliable and by normal shotgun standards hasn't been shot that much. But that spring seems awfully weak. I only have 2 rounds in it, the rest are on the side, and I have more by the bed.

I still would like to put a heavy duty spring in the tube. I've read about it and watched some videos but thought I would make a thread about it.

I'm pretty comfortable taking things apart, I was (still am I guess) a rimfire central member and spent a lot of time and money turning 200 dollar guns into 400 dollar guns. It turned into kind of an obsession, so I quit cold turkey

My hands hurt, my eyesight isn't what it used to be, and I've kind of lost interest in fussing with my firearms if I don't have to.

I've also heard you can't put a longer tube on a Mossberg although I don't know why you can't just screw a longer one on. My main concern is the spring.

How does others 500's feel? When I put that first two shells in there's hardly any resistance at all. Haven't had any problems with feeding though.

I've been a member here since around 2000 give or take but then there were changes and I started going to other sites. I actually thought the site shut down.

Anyway, I'm back and have a lot of time on my hands.

Oh, my question has to do with keeping it loaded with what seems like a weak spring. Maybe it's a normal spring and just seems weak compared to the other one.

I have beagles and my handguns so it's not like I'll be caught defenseless if the worst happens.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

I had a Mossberg 500 with a similar issue. The gun was great but the magazine tube spring was worn out to the point the last round wouldn't reliably feed. IIRC there's a bead of solder or something that required a heat gun so I had a local gunsmith do it for me. Seems like it was $20 for the spring and another $25 or so for the labor.

 

[kwb377]

I've also heard you can't put a longer tube on a Mossberg although I don't know why you can't just screw a longer one on. My main concern is the spring.

Removing the magazine tube on a Mossberg/Maverick to replace the spring or swap with a longer tube/barrel isn't hard at all. I've had five different 88/500/590 guns. One unthreaded with almost no resistance, two were just slightly tighter than hand tight, one required a strap wrench, and one required using a heat gun.

 

[gitarmac]

I have both a heat gun and strap wrench. What I'm lacking is ambition. But if I can't find a gunsmith to do it I'll give the old college try.

 

[The Happy Kaboomer]

I'd much rather use a handgun for inside self defense. Use with one hand. Flashlight in the other. Can use off hand to turn on lights open doors etc.. Shotgun takes 2 hands to operate. Harder to maneuver in tight places. And at room distances the pattern with ANY load is going to about 2inches in diameter..........But that's just me......Ya'll use what ya want.

 

[.38 Special]

A lifetime spent with revolvers has convinced me that handguns can't be counted on to reliably stop man or beast. I am almost never out of reach of a good handgun, but if I am ever forced into a fight for my life, I hope to be holding a good shotgun.

 

[Obturation]

Replace the spring, you may need a heat gun to get it loose the first time. My 500 suffered the same fate, I made a thread here about it but I'm no good at finding old threads. My Mossberg sat loaded in the corner for about 10 years, spring was so weak it would barely pop out the last 2 shells . replacement spring was like $10 on amazon, Mossberg part, it's free length was almost double that if my old spring, same number of turns and same diameter wire. Anyone who tells you springs don't get weak from remaining compressed doesn't know what they're talking about- 100% sitting compressed weakens springs dramatically .
Took 10 minutes to swap spring and my 500 is ready for another decade in the corner. I'll usually run 20 or so shells through a year and clean it just to make sure it's all still working.

Goodluck

 

[entropy]

I keep an Ithaca 37 for a bedroom gun. I replace the spring every 3 years with a Remington 870 spring. Last time I splurged and got a Wolff's. The pulled out springs go into my parts bins.

 

[Obturation]

Also...
Consider trying some of those mini shells , still very effective and increases capacity while giving reduced recoil. An absol adapter will get them feeding right and is a 5 second install and a $20 part. Good for folks who are feeling not as strong as they once were.

 

[Thomasss]

I got grand kids that are getting older and are more inquisitive all the time, so I keep 3, #2 lead Remington high brass in a very high dresser draw. The shotgun, a Model 420 Stevens, 2 3/4 inch only with 28 inch full choke is kept at my bedside with an open chamber and the safety off. I can drop one in and be pulling the trigger in a second. I will let the LEO search my house for the bad guy, I don't want play hide and go seek with a perp.

 

[dfariswheel]

All arguments about rifle versus pistol versus shotgun for a home defense gun aside, nothing says "Get out of my bedroom" like a load of buckshot.

The Mossberg 500 series magazine tube is usually screwed in with Loctite and may require heat and a plumber's strap wrench to unscrew.
This is a Model 500 weakness, which is why Mossberg had to go to the Remington 870 type magazine tube on the Model 590 series in order to sell to the military and police.

Good magazine springs can be ordered from Brownell's and Wolff Gun Springs.
A cheap plumbers canvas or synthetic strap wrench can be bought from Harbor Freight.
The trick is to heat the receiver and tube with a heat gun and grip the magazine tube as close to the receiver as possible with the wrench.

A possibly bigger risk with shotgun magazines is not loss of spring tension, it's shot shell compression.
Sometimes in shotguns, especially extended magazines the shells will begin to compress from spring tension and develop bulges in the case.
The only fix for this is to regularly inspect the loads and if you see any bulging, shoot them up in practice.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I kept a 12 gauge for bedroom duty until the kids got big enough to reach the top of the closet, so had to switch to a handgun in a minisafe.
Now the nest is almost empty and thinking about going back to a long gun, but the noise and blast of a 12ga. (or .223) has got me seriously considering an AR9- of which I already have several.
Low recoil, (relatively) low noise, large magazine capacity, easy to mount lights and red dots, cheap ammo, increased velocity and muzzle energy over a handgun- all good things in my book.
I dunno, something to consider maybe.

 

[Y-T71]

I received a youth model 20 ga Mossberg 500 for Christmas back in the mid '80's ('84 IIRC)

It had a 26" modified choke barrel and a short LOP stock.

It came with a coupon to mail in a get a full length stock but I never did.

I bought an 18½" barrel direct from Mossberg; it wasn't a cataloged barrel but the Mossberg rep at an NRA show gave me a number to call.

I did and the lady on the phone said they have it made and at my door in 2 weeks for under $70, and they did.

With the short barrel and short stock this shotgun is perfect for doorways and hallways!

 

[Obturation]

I kept a 12 gauge for bedroom duty until the kids got big enough to reach the top of the closet, so had to switch to a handgun in a minisafe.
Now the nest is almost empty and thinking about going back to a long gun, but the noise and blast of a 12ga. (or .223) has got me seriously considering an AR9- of which I already have several.
Low recoil, (relatively) low noise, large magazine capacity, easy to mount lights and red dots, cheap ammo, increased velocity and muzzle energy over a handgun- all good things in my book.
I dunno, something to consider maybe.

I've thought it through countless times and through the years the humble Mossberg remains . I had some doodads on it over the years , they came off. in the end it boils down to simplicity . I can run an AR but a shotgun is more instinctive to me.

Different for everyone but I'm confident in a shotgun and most of our grandparents were too. And their grandparents too. I'm no high speed operator, if I've got to scramble for a boom stick I like simplicity. Training will obviously give an edge to the modern carbine but it'll never be as versatile or powerful as an old shotgun.

 

[gitarmac]

Thanks for all the tips. I ordered a new spring, probably should have ordered two.

 

[Old Hobo]

A lifetime spent with revolvers has convinced me that handguns can't be counted on to reliably stop man or beast. I am almost never out of reach of a good handgun, but if I am ever forced into a fight for my life, I hope to be holding a good shotgun.

Handguns are great. They buy you the time you need to get to your shotgun or battle rifle.

Y'know, I watch these reality shows wherein an officer (police, game warden, whoever in uniform) is searching for a suspect and all he has is his sidearm. Speaking for myself, were I in that situation, I'd do everything in my power to use my issue-shotgun or issue-rifle. My long-arm wouldn't be back, locked in my vehicle, just sayin'.

Ancient wisdom: "Trust in Allah, but tie your camel."

 

[WrongHanded]

After experiencing a weak mag spring on a 590 which I kept fully loaded for an extended period of time, I replaced it and now keep both 590s downloaded by at least one. I had the same thing happen with a Henry lever action.

But the good news is this: If you have a weak spring on a tube magazine, the gun will still function if you turn it vertical to cycle the action. Gravity can be friendly that way.

 

[Jim Watson]

A possibly bigger risk with shotgun magazines is not loss of spring tension, it's shot shell compression.

I read that it was usual to inspect and cycle your trench gun shells before action in WWI. The solution to damp and squashed paper hulls was the brass 12 gauge but they didn't get much use before the Armistice. Same thing in WWII, use up brass, get by with paper, order more brass for late war delivery.

Plastic shells are damp resistant but still subject to squashing.

 

[Blkhrt13]

I keep a cut down department store mossberg full of number 2 buck in twenty gauge. In my head at most inside distances I don’t think it will spread much. My wife and I live alone with our animals so I’m less worried about over penetration. I also keep my 442 and a cw 45 at hand. I think the best option is the 45 just because even a twenty gauge inside will be real loud. I don’t think it will be as bad of a factor until it’s all over.

 

[SwampWolf]

I ordered a new spring, probably should have ordered two.

Depends on how old you are. A second spring is akin to buying green bananas at a certain age.

 

[gitarmac]

Depends on how old you are. A second spring is akin to buying green bananas at a certain age.

Good point. I'll probably never need another spring.

 

[dh1633pm]

I had my FN SLP beside the bed for more than a few years loaded with double ohs. When I got a CZ75 I put it away. With the CZ getting a trigger kit installed I went back to the shotgun. I think I will stay with it. Children are all grown. No grandkids (to my detriment) so it’s loaded and chambered. Night sights. I have a 500 in 410. Feel better with the 12. I will consider getting some spare springs for all my shotguns. Two inch spread in a room is excellent. I practice with the FN often.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Wolfe springs aren't all that-----I put one in my 590 and it was worthless within a month of just sitting there loaded---replaced with a Mossberg factory spring and so far so good.

All this was after Mossberg installed an incorrect spring in the gun originally.

 

[kalielkslayer]

I usually just keep one of my handguns by the bedside but I was sorting some ammo, I have quite a bit of loose buckshot and other shotgun shells and decided my long guns locked in the safe at the other end of the house was too far away.

I choose the Mossberg 500 with the 18.5 in slugster barrel. I put some slugs in the sidesaddle and felt warm and fuzzy.

Then I started thinking about overpenatration so I got some Winchester segmented slugs, and a couple other brands.

Then I realized that although I have flashlights and headlamps by the bed I really needed a light on the weapon so now I have that.

I chose my Mossberg because my other shotgun is a semi brownchester (the Winchester super-X that can use browning parts) because it's reliable, easier to maneuver in closed spaces, and super easy to reload on the fly.

Almost too easy. I've had this gun since '88. It came with the two barrels. I'm a female with T-Rex arms so I had the stock cut to fit and a nice recoil pad. If you do the math you will conclude I'm older now. Old retired with arthritis. Especially in my neck and hands.

Not to worry, one of my ammo selections is low recoil federal 00buck. Also, if it comes to the point I have to actually use it I will have good reason and discomfort won't be an issue, it never is when I'm hunting anyway.

So this is an older gun that has always been reliable and by normal shotgun standards hasn't been shot that much. But that spring seems awfully weak. I only have 2 rounds in it, the rest are on the side, and I have more by the bed.

I still would like to put a heavy duty spring in the tube. I've read about it and watched some videos but thought I would make a thread about it.

I'm pretty comfortable taking things apart, I was (still am I guess) a rimfire central member and spent a lot of time and money turning 200 dollar guns into 400 dollar guns. It turned into kind of an obsession, so I quit cold turkey

My hands hurt, my eyesight isn't what it used to be, and I've kind of lost interest in fussing with my firearms if I don't have to.

I've also heard you can't put a longer tube on a Mossberg although I don't know why you can't just screw a longer one on. My main concern is the spring.

How does others 500's feel? When I put that first two shells in there's hardly any resistance at all. Haven't had any problems with feeding though.

I've been a member here since around 2000 give or take but then there were changes and I started going to other sites. I actually thought the site shut down.

Anyway, I'm back and have a lot of time on my hands.

Oh, my question has to do with keeping it loaded with what seems like a weak spring. Maybe it's a normal spring and just seems weak compared to the other one.

I have beagles and my handguns so it's not like I'll be caught defenseless if the worst happens.

The first thing I would do is remove the spring and stretch it. Stretch it until you think it won’t fit back in the magazine. Then stuff it back in, load 5, test it.

If it works, do that every year.

I’ve done that with handgun magazines and shotgun magazines and it has worked every time, for a while.

 

[kalielkslayer]

Mine is a G17 by the bed. I have my 2 CCW weapons in the top center drawer of my dresser.

But I’ve been thinking of putting a couple of hooks above the doorway into our bedroom and putting the PCC there.

We have a 4 yo granddaughter that lives with us 4 days a week. And 2 others that are here occasionally. The G17 is in a black bag, unzipped at night with way more loaded magazines then I’ll ever need. When I get up, I zip it up and put it on the top shelf in my closet.

Not legal in this state. But she can’t reach it and she’s trained not to go in our room unless me or the wife are in there.

The other 2 grands (4&8) have had firearm awareness training.

But I don’t trust any 4 or 8 yo. So a closed case, top shelf, out of reach, sweatshirt pulled overtop is my security.

I check magazines at least every 6 months. I have never had a problem with the Glock mags. I did have 3 CZ mags that wouldn’t cycle the last couple rounds. I pulled the springs, stretched them. They functioned fine after that.